PENANCE

Penance

This is the Sacrament in which sins committed after Baptism are forgiven. It results in reconciliation with God and the Church. (US Catholic Catechism for Adults, Glossary)

Reconciliation is offered Saturday mornings, after the 8:30am Mass; 4pm on Saturday afternoons before the 5pm Mass, Tuesday evenings after the 6pm Mass, and by appointment. Call the parish office 360-834-2126.


Reconciliation Room



“Provision must be made for a place for reconciliation which is clearly visible, truly accessible, and which provides a fixed grille between the penitent and confessor. Provision must also be made for those instances when the penitent wishes to confess face-to-face.” Our Reconciliation Chapel is more accessible than our confessionals have been, and we now have that opportunity for face-to-face reconciliation, while maintaining the option to celebrate the sacrament anonymously. 

Reconciliation at
St. Thomas:

-Tuesday evenings, after the 6pm Mass

 -Saturday mornings, after the 8:30am Mass

-Saturday afternoons, before the 5pm Mass (4:00-4:45pm)

You can also make an appointment for spiritual direction or private confession by calling the office. 360-834-2126.

 

Brochures available in office:
Examination of Conscience for Children (printable)
Examination of Conscience for Adults (printable)

There are four steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
  1. We feel contrition for our sins and a conversion of heart to change our ways.
  2. We confess our sins and human sinfulness to a priest.
  3. We receive and accept forgiveness (absolution) and are absolved of our sins.
  4. We celebrate God’s everlasting love for us and commit to live out a Christian life.
Sin hurts our relationship with God, ourselves and others. As the Catechism states:
The sinner wounds God’s honor and love, his own human dignity…and the spiritual well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living stone. To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for the sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. (CCC 1487, 1488)
A mature understanding of sin includes reflecting upon our thoughts, actions and omissions as well as examining the patterns of sin that may arise in our lives. With contrite hearts, we are also called to reflect upon the effects of our sins upon the wider community and how we might participate in sinful systems.

Contrition and conversion lead us to seek a forgiveness for our sins so as to repair damaged relationships with God, self, and others. We believe that only ordained priests have the faculty of absolving sins from the authority of the Church in the name of Jesus Christ (CCC 1495). Our sins are forgiven by God, through the priest.

The Spiritual effects of the Sacraments of Reconciliation include:
  • reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace
  • reconciliation with the Church
  • remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins
  • remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin
  • peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation
  • an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle (CCC 1496)
Individual confession with a priest is the principal means of absolution and reconciliation of grave sins within the Church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation frees us from sinful patterns of behavior and calls us to complete conversion to Christ. Reconciliation heals our sins and repairs our relationships.
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